Method of producing metal wheels



J. A. ANGLADA. METHOD 0F PRODUCING METAL WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7, |918. 1,336,332, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEEIS-SHEET II TIIII 5 5 www@ J. A. ANGLADA. METHOD OF PRODUCING METAL WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7, I9I8. 1,336,332. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

JOSEPH A. ANGLADA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 BAKER WHEEL a RIM COMPANY, oF CHICAGO,

NOIS.

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLI- METHOD OF PRODUCING METAL WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application led May 17, 1918. Serial No. 235,114.

To all lwhom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErn A. ANGLApA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Metal lVheels, of which the following is a speciiica'tion.v

My invention relates generally to improvements in metal wheels and a method of producing same, and is concerned primarily with motor vehicle wheels.

The general object of my invention is to provide a metal wheel which shall be light in weight; strong, resilient, and durable, and better adapted to withstand service conditions than wheels of similar size and weight heretofore devised.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method of producing a metal wheel from sheet metal in a simple, expeditious manner, and at low cost; and a particular object is to provide a method of producing metallic wheels from sheet metal with little, if any, waste.

My invention consists generally in a method of producing such wheels, whereby the above named objects, together wlth others which will appear hereinafter, are attained.

My invention also consists in the details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a wheel embodying my invention andthe method of producing the same. v

In said drawings: Figure 1 represents a sheet of metal used in 'the manufacture of the wheel; Fig. 2 is an end view of the sheet in the form shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sheet of Figs. 1 and 2 after passing throu h one of the steps of the method ig. 4 is an end view of the metal in the condition shown in lFig. 3;- Fig. 5 is a plan view indicating the next general step or operation Fig. 6 is a View of one of the parts resulting from the step or operation depicted in Fig. 5 Fig. 7 is an end view of the material in the condition shown in Fig. 6;- Fig. 9 shows the strip of Figs. 6 and 7 formed in circular shape; Fig. 8

A is a sectional diagram substantially on a diameter of Fig. 9;- Fig. 10 is a vlew illustrating a vehicle hub or center suitable for assembly with the rest of the wheel heretofore depicted Fig. 1l is a sectional assembly view of the completed wheelg- Fig. l2 is a face-view of the completed wheel;- Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 illustrate steps in the manufacture of a wheel under a modified method embodying my invention.

vI am' aware-that it has been proposed heretofore to manufact-ure metallic vehicle wheels from sheet metal, but in the methods heretofore prevai ing great wastage of material has resulted` methods of manufacture which usually consisted in stamping or pressing the complete circular wheel out of a. square sheet of metal. The wastage resulted not only from the manufacture of a circular wheel, from a square sheet of metal, but also in those types Vhaving spokes. from the removal of considerable portions of metal between ad- ]acent spokes. It is one of the objects of my invention to eliminate very largely this 'expensive wastage of material, and to provide a method whereby metallic wheels can be produced from commercial sheet metal, such, for example. as hot or cold rolled steel, in a rapid and inexpensive manner.``v

In practising my invention, I prefer instead of using a square sheet of metal to start with a sheet of lelongated rectangular shape, the length of which is equal substantially to the circumference of the wheel desired andthe 'width of which is such as to enable the production simultaneously of a plurality of blanks or members of a character suitable for producing the major portion of the wheel. In the present instance I manufacture wheel blanks in multiples of two, from a single rectangular sheet of metal with the spoke-portions of the Wheels so relatively positioned as to interfit or to permit cutting from the sheet substantially without wastage, and as will be understood from the detailed description which follows the waste material resulting is determined very largely from the size and number of spokes that may be desired in the finished wheel. In some instance it may be desirable to provide spokes of such number and size that no material is wasted.

aving now set up the general method of due very largely to the Will be somewhat thicker than for wheels to be used o'n the lighter types lof .passenger vehicles. The sheet metal, 2, in this instance, is next rolled or otherwise shapedv to the channel form shown in Figs. 3 and. al, wherein 3 represents the body portion of the metal substantially unchanged by the operation, and 1. the flange portions resulting from this step. The flange portions, 4, comprise relatively fiat portions, 5, and curved edgeportions, 6, the portions and 6 together constituting a felly band of standard demountable i rim construction when the Awheel is completed. After the material has been' formed to the condition shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I next perforate or sever the material longitudinally along the tongue-like dotted lines, i' and 8, thus producing two separate elongated members of the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, comprising a body portion, 9, and tongue-portions, 10. The portions, 10, I shall hereinafter refer to, as a mattei' of convenience, as spoke portions, inasmuch as in the completed wheel these portions constitute the spokes of the Wheel. The next operation, or general step, is that of forming the' elongated element of Figs. 6 and i' into circular wheel-like shape. T his is done by bendrial therebetween being circularly disposed.

The ends are then permanentlydjoined in any suitable manner, as by welding. The various tongues or spoke-portions, 10, are caused to extend toward a common central axis. The inner ends of the tongues or spokes as shown in l.`ig. 6 finally are attached to the central or hub of the finished Wheel. The condition of the wheel, as thus formed, is shown in Figs. 5 and 9 with the additional step of bending alternate spokes away from their original common plane to form a Wheel of the typical suspension type. In this manner the felly and the spoke portions of the Wheel are formed. plete the wheel, I provide a hub, 15, composed of a cylindrical central body portion, 16, and outwardly curved end portions or flangis, 17. The alternately oppositely bent spokes are secured at their ends to the flange portions, 17-17, of the hub, in any suitable manner as by riveting, 18.

The spreading apart of alternate spokes may occur at the time that they are riveted To com-- the spokes are placed substantially in their i correct positions and are the more readily 'riveted to the hub portion.

The wheel'may be tensioned by the riveting of the spokes to the hub portion; but preferably, the spoke fastening operation is made easier and a better tension secured by making the peripheral portion of the wheel of an initial circumference which is undersize and by welding or riveting the spokes while in that condition and then stretching or expanding the periphery of the wheel to stretch the spokes and tension the Wheel as a whole.

The completed wheel is well shown in Figs. ll and 12, and it is thought that n0 further description thereof is necessary. By the method described, the only Waste stock is the small strip between the severing lines of the spokes.

As stated in the earlier part of the specificaticn, I may produce the Wheel Without any waste stock at all, and to this end I proceed along the same general lines already outlined, providing an elongated channel member, 3U, of the same construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this instance, however, instead of severing or shearing the member along the dotted lines, 7 and 8, which results in the wastage of an undulating strip portion, 8', I sev'er or shear the member into` two parts along the single dotted line, 20, asshown in F ig. 13. In this manner I produce a strip, 21, as shown in Fig. 15, in which the strip or tongue-portions, 22, are of a size equal to the intermediate spaces, 23. The rest of the operations of forming the Wheel are the same as those heretofore described and in the finished Wheel, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17,'the spokes and spaces are of equal' size and the number of spokes is greater than that shown in the first form of the invention.

It is thought from this detailed description that the objects, purposes, and advantages of my invention will be at once apparent to those skilled in the vehicle-Wheel art, but inasmuch as this disclosure will suggest to others modified structures and methods whereby the substantial objects and purposes of my invention may be attained I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction herein shown, or to the precise steps and sequence referred to in the method of manufacturing the wheel, except only as may he neoeesery by limit-ations in the hereunto appended claim.,

ll Gleim: The method of producing metal vehicle 5 Wheels from sheet meta-l, that consists in making from sheet metal a Wheel body blank comprising a periphery forming porlion and a plurality of spokes projecting therefrom7 `then rolling the blank into eirculer form with the spokes; extenfing 3.o wardly from the. peripheral portion, hen osetting alternee spokes, then securing; the spoke ends to a, huh member, and lnaliy stretching or expanding the peripheral portion to tension the wheel as a Whole. 15

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 7th de of May, 1918,

JOS PH A.. ANGLDA. 

